Monday, June 1, we will meet in person.
Go to calendar for our schedule
Address for OHMC meditation space:
3812 Northampton St. NW, Washington DC 20015
Please arrive a few minutes early so we can invite the bell on time. You may also arrive 15 minutes early to practice working meditation by helping us set up cushions.
Dear friends,
This week, we will meet Monday evening, June 1, from 7-8:30PM ET in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW); Wednesday morning, June 3, from 7-8AM ET online; Thursday morning, June 4, from 7-8AM ET online; and Friday, June 5, 12-1PM ET online/in person (Hybrid).
This week, Annie will guide our meditation and Suzanne will offer her reflections on Planting Seeds of Mindfulness.
Like many in a busy, modern world, I suffer from “monkey mind,” and its unhelpful cousin, rumination. Either my mind jumps from one topic to another like a monkey swinging through the trees, or it dwells on some past injury or an uncertain future. In the hope that reinvigorating a lapsed regular meditation practice would support more mindfulness, I turned to Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay) classic book The Miracle of Mindfulness for inspiration and instruction. It delivers motivation for those days when it is hard to find time or when the process of concentrating on the breath seems impossible.
Thay teaches us that mindfulness and living in the present moment throughout the day is the antidote to the suffering caused by these common mental habits:
Mindfulness is like that–it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.
Although I accept the power of that teaching, living it is a challenge. Mindfulness in daily life, a focus on “washing the dishes when washing the dishes,” can seem unattainable. But Thay explains beautifully why deliberate practices building concentration can help:
Mindfulness is at the same time a means and an end, the seed and the fruit. When we practice mindfulness in order to build up concentration, mindfulness is a seed. But mindfulness itself is the life of awareness: the presence of mindfulness means the presence of life, and therefore mindfulness is also the fruit.
Thinking of sitting meditation, or any practice that supports you, as planting a seed of mindfulness that can grow into the fruit of mindful living is so inspiring and motivating!
For those days, when watching the breath “going in” and “going out” feels impossible and thoughts flow as my mind looks for a more interesting tree to swing to, Thay again offers encouragement. He reminds us of the power of simply acknowledging thoughts and feelings without judgment as they arise and returning to the breath:
The breath isn’t simply a means by which to chase away such thoughts and feelings. Breath remains the vehicle to unite body and mind to open the gate of wisdom.
Our breath is the bridge from our body to our mind, the element which reconciles our body and mind and which makes possible one-ness of body and mind. Breath is aligned to both body and mind and it alone is the tool which can bring them both together, illuminating both and bringing peace and calm.
Reading these words and the practical instruction in The Miracle of Mindfulness teaches me that returning to my breath after my mind wanders during meditation is like planting seeds over and over again to grow the fruit of mindfulness. And so, with this inspiration, I resolve to restart and see where the practice takes me, without judgment.
What is your relationship to meditation in the journey to become more mindful? What makes the practice more meaningful or effective for you? What do you struggle with?
What other practices plant seeds of mindfulness for you? What are you interested in learning more about or trying?
We look forward to practicing and sharing on Monday.